World Youth Championships

[John Upham]

What are ECF junior selectors obligations towards someone at the top of the U16 rankings ?

My limited understanding is that without a FIDE rating there are no obligations regardless of domestic results.

However,

There are ECF grade criteria :

"Dates to Achieve Target ECF Grade By
World Youth Championship (U14,16,18) – January 2020
European Youth Championship (U8,10,12,14,16,18) – August 2020
European Youth Rapid & Blitz (U8,10,12,14,16,18) – August 2020"

I Imagine the ECF grade target has been met.

[Matt Bridgeman]

Good luck to Matthew Turner at the Dorset Rapidplay. Declan might get to face his first GM in March.

...highest rated junior for rapidplay is currently Matthew Wadsworth with 226. Looks achievable!

[Alex Holowczak]

There are ECF grade criteria :

"Dates to Achieve Target ECF Grade By
World Youth Championship (U14,16,18) – January 2020
European Youth Championship (U8,10,12,14,16,18) – August 2020
European Youth Rapid & Blitz (U8,10,12,14,16,18) – August 2020"

I Imagine the ECF grade target has been met.

Actually, that's a small blunder, insofar as there is indeed a target date to meet a target grade ... but no target grade for players of that age.

You are correct though in the text I have not quoted - Declan has not qualified for any of the individual events by virtue of not having a rating, or meeting the activity requirement.

The team events are selected by a Selection Panel.

[David Blower]

Regardless of what I think about Declan (I have not ever met him) I think the burden of proof is on the chess authorities to prove that he is cheating, rather than Declan having to prove he is not, (innocent until proven guilty and all that.) Furthermore of course it is not enough for "gut instinct" there needs to be actual evidence.

Which makes me wonder what would happen, if it happened at my club, (I'm the chairman!) I would probably be on this very forum asking for help "well what exactly do you want me to do" whilst taking into account everything that is best for the club, best for chess in general, and best for the child himself and his parents.

One way or the other you would have hoped that there is someone in the ECF looking into this. And it is as simple as this, either he is cheating or he isn't. If he is obviously the penalties should be high, and if he isn't I wish him all future success, because there is nothing I would like better for the World Champion of chess to be from England.

However I will just say I would be very surprised if every chess.com account was from Declan himself.

[NickFaulks]

However I will just say I would be very surprised if every chess.com account was from Declan himself.

What point is being made here?

[David Blower]

I think it would be quite easy to make up an account on chess.com with any name you like.

[NickFaulks]

So who are you suggesting might have done what?

[Pete Heaven]

It should be borne in mind that a number of these online accounts pre-dated this season. This doesn't prove anything but few chess people were aware of Declan at the time these accounts were up, running and then closed down.

[David Blower]

So who are you suggesting might have done what?

Well I would not know that would I.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Some people think it is 'funny' to troll someone by pretending to be them. Though sometimes it is the person themselves, it can also be others (e.g. non-chess playing teenagers or adults who should know better who know the person and/or have become aware of this whole matter).

[Pete Heaven]

Haven't quite worked out how to incorporate previous comments but anyway.....

"Some people think it is 'funny' to troll someone by pretending to be them. Though sometimes it is the person themselves, it can also be others (e.g. non-chess playing teenagers or adults who should know better who know the person and/or have become aware of this whole matter)."

This is why I posted that several online accounts were closed down for computer assistance before 'this whole matter' even existed. It is fair comment that any recently created accounts could be trolls but, pre-September 2019, it's a real stretch to imagine it's someone else.

[JustinHorton]

Haven't quite worked out how to incorporate previous comments but anyway.....

By using the quote function

[Christopher Kreuzer]

If you click the icon in the top right of a post that looks like a quote mark ("), then you can quote in your reply what others have said. You can also click that and copy all or part of a post in quote tags to what you are writing:

Code: Select all

[quote][/quote]

I was referring primarily to the recent comments on Tim Spanton's blogs when referring to trolls.

[Pete Heaven]

Thanks both.

[Matt Bridgeman]

What would constitute ‘proof’ in this matter?

Is there an argument that there would already be enough evidence to satisfy the civil standard of ‘on the balance of probabilities’?

A beginner in February in a junior competition, returns for their next over-the-board games in September, and plays as a strong IM. Is it not possible to say that on the balance of probabilities they are cheating? There are no other examples in world chess of such seamless, rapid improvement.